Laws of Attraction (and denial)
by Blue Obsidian Butterfly
Summary: No matter how many people question Shaw's relationship (or lack thereof) to Root she insists there is nothing between them. Of course Root disagrees.


**Disclaimer: How many ways can I say POI doesn't belong to me without breaking my heart?**

Sameen Shaw is not in denial.

She was not in denial when, after one too many beers on both their parts Reese asked her what was going on between herself and a certain hacker (not the one who walked with a limp) and she told him to mind his own business and besides, there was nothing which, for the record was technically true.

She wasn't in denial when, during a particularly brutal mission Root was hurt and she was at the other side of the city, unable to help and Finch had to talk her out of stealing the fastest car she could get her hands on, using it to break every road rule in existence in order to reach her (afterwards Harold swears black and blue the words 'I don't know what I'd do if I lost her' were used but she'd sooner shoot someone than admit they came out of her mouth.)

She was absolutely not in denial the time when Carter, during the middle of a gun fight refused to give her a new clip after her own ran out (only because someone, namely Root had practically emptied her arsenal the day before, claiming the machine needed it and 'you wouldn't want me to go out unarmed now would you sweetie?') until she admitted that there was something between herself and Root, having grown tired of the pair dancing around one another. A couple of curses and shots later she gave in but only because there were still plenty of kneecaps to shoot and she didn't want to miss out on all the action. Besides, it doesn't really mean anything is what she told herself to make the nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach go away.

The time Fusco calls her out on it she doesn't even bother with a denial, simply socking him in the arm not exactly gently causing Reese to smile uncharacteristically.

These are merely a few instances in which her relationship (or lack thereof) to the hacker was questioned but no matter how many people asked (or died trying) Shaw, on pain of death DOES NOT HAVE FEELINGS FOR ROOT.

Of course Root disagrees.

"Hey beautiful" she purrs, crossing her legs as she sits next to Shaw on the couch, placing a bowl of popcorn between them. Shaw opens her mouth, ready to deliver a threat at the use of yet another absurd nickname but, she supposes as she closes it again it's better than sweetie and besides, at least there's popcorn. The lure is too strong and she digs in, putting a handful in her mouth and crunching loudly.

Root smiles, pleased that she's made the ex-assassin happy (as much as one can when it came to Shaw) and she sighed contentedly, relaxing back into the cushions. This had become a sort of an un-official date night between the two of them (not that Shaw would ever admit it.) On a night when neither woman was out shooting bad guys or protecting those who needed it they got together-usually at Roots because she had a bigger TV and watched the latest action-thriller blockbuster to hit screens, commenting on everything from the authenticity of fight scenes to the 'dumb decisions' as Shaw blatantly put it of the main characters motivated by either their desire to be the best or win the heart of someone way out of their league.

Root couldn't remember the name of this particular movie and, after watching the opening scene which consisted of a car chase, shooting and a rather well made crash scene she decided that she didn't really care. It was nice to simply relax, doing something other than coding and cleaning weapons to spend time with Shaw. Her eyes were drawn to the other woman, as they so often are during their time together to find her gaze glued to the screen, popcorn disappearing at an alarming rate. It makes Root smile, a stray lock of hair escaping the confines of her ponytail as she shakes her head. She waits a moment to see if Shaw will notice and brush it back (because that what happens in all the romance movies right?) but nothing happens. She pulls the band free, letting her hair flow freely over her shoulders. Romantic movies were overrated anyway.

They sit in a comfortable silence, Root's eyes occasionally straying from Shaw to peer at the screen when something interesting happens but mostly she just likes watching her. A disgruntled sound escapes the ex-assassin when her hand hits the bottom of the now empty bowl.

"Something wrong sweetie?" she asks, giving Shaw a flirty and somewhat doting smile. She takes her eyes away from the screen as she glares at the hacker. Having been on the receiving end of that particular look more than a few times she had built up a natural immunity and merely smiled wider in response. Eventually, to Root's surprise Shaw backs down, holding the bowl out towards Root in a silent question. Wordlessly she takes the bowl and gets up but stops just before she reaches the kitchen.

"You know sweetie if you want more all you have to do is ask" she calls over her shoulder. She doesn't turn around when she fells a pair of eyes on her, an involuntary shiver running down her back with the knowledge she now has Shaw's full attention. She waits, expecting a comeback to come hurtling at her any second but the room remains silent apart from the white noise coming from the TV. Curiously she turns around, meeting Shaw's gaze with a questioning look.

"It's never going to work you know" she says and Root grows more confused.

"What's not going to work?" she asks, tilting her head to the side.

"This" Shaw replies, making a wide gesture to indicate she is talking about the room or perhaps the apartment in general. Root's brows furrow together, her confused frown deepening.

"What do you mean?" in reply Shaw rolls her eyes and Root lets out a frustrated sigh. She was usually pretty good at reading Shaw but whatever she was talking about eluded her, remaining a mystery.

"Sorry sweetie, you're going to have to be more specific."

"You know what, forget it" she huffs, turning back to the screen. It was a clear dismissal and Root blinked in surprise, unsure of what had just occurred. She puts the bowl down, turning to gather the bag of un-popped corn before she changes her mind, making her way back to where Shaw is seated. She picks up the remote, hitting pause on the movie as she sits down facing Shaw, ignoring the glare she receives.

"Root, turn it back on" she says, scowling when Root shakes her head.

"Not until you tell me what you were talking about" she replies. Shaw groans in annoyance, getting up to manually hit play on the DVD player. As soon as she does Root hits pause on the remote again.

"Seriously?" Shaw grumbles and Root nods. Rather than sit back down again she hits play, standing in front of the screen so nothing happens when Root uses the remote. She smiles smugly and Root sighs, picking up her phone from the coffee table. After a few seconds of fiddling the power goes out, plunging them into darkness.

"Did you just…" Shaw trails off, partly annoyed yet somewhat impressed. Root smiles into the darkness, using the light from her phone to locate Shaw's figure. She hadn't moved and neither had her scowl, reminding Root of a gargoyle.

"Now will you tell me?" she asks, more of a demand than a question. One thing she had learnt about Shaw is that the best way to get her to open up is to leave her no other choice.

"Maybe I'll go hang out with Reese" she threatens, letting out a resigned sigh when it elicits no response, both of them knowing she would rather spend the night working at the make-up counter.

"It's not going to kill you" Root says, patting the empty seat cushion next to her. Getting her to open up was like pulling teeth and it gave Root the impression this had something to do with the feelings she claimed she didn't have and she wasn't willing to just let the topic go. The worst thing that could happen is she pushes too far and Shaw leaves but the trade-off, if she's right is worth it. After a moment Shaw sits and Root puts down her phone, figuring Shaw was more likely to open up when no-one could see her.

"What's going on?" she asks gently.

"It's just…everyone thinks I have feeling for you" Shaw replies and Root swallows, tampering back her feelings.

"Do you?" she mumbles, the words filling the room in the silence.

"I'm a sociopath" she replies but it's more of a deflection than an answer.

"You care though, right?" This is it, they are finally having the conversation Root has been anticipating and dreading. She wished she could see Shaw's face but she didn't want to spook her.

"I care about some things" she replies evasively.

"Does that include me?" Root asks, her voice open and vulnerable. She can't expect Shaw to open up if she herself doesn't.

"Sometimes" it's both a letdown and more than Root could have hoped for.

"Do you wish you didn't?" It was the defining question. They were on a ledge, ready to fall and the only question was: would they fall together? Shaw remains silent and Root swallows. The seconds tick by and just as she is about to take the silence as her answer Shaw speaks.

"Not really" she lets out the breath she hadn't realised she was holding.

"Do you mean that?" Root asks, needing to be sure. Her voice comes out unsteady and she swallows the lump in her throat.

"Yeah, I guess I do. Can we go back to watching the movie now?" though her words are flippant Root knows she means them and a smile slowly breaks free on her face. She fumbles around for her phone, restoring the power. It flickers back on, bringing with it a whir of noise and it's like the world suddenly came crashing down on them, breaking the moment of time they had managed to steal together. Root's smile falls and she watches Shaw nervously out the corner of her eye. The movie starts playing again but neither of them pay attention to it. Eventually Shaw sighs, leaning back into the couch. Cautiously Root shuffles closer so her thigh presses against Shaw's. Her muscles tense but after a moment she relaxes, wrapping her arm around Root. Delighted Root leans closer, relaxing against Shaw's side with a contended sigh.

She was pretty sure this is what perfection looked like.

And there was no way Shaw could deny it.


End file.
